BLUESMEN Part One

Day 1,955, 00:46 • Published in Australia Australia • by greg L
G'Day world, I have decided to do a series on my favorite music, which is of course THE BLUES, just the sound of that word conjures up an amazing variety of sounds, styles and also conjures up images like Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson selling their souls to the devil just so they can play that 'ol git-tar like none other.
] Of course the whole story of the crossroads is bullshit but many in the old days truly believed it.
ROBERT JOHNSON


The blues began way back and its origins are obscured in the mists of time but we do know that once the 1920's roll around we get our first blues recordings. Mamie Smith was the first known recording of the blues and it began the era of 'classic blues' which was always a female shouter backed by an early jazz band. Out of this era came two of the all-time TITANS of music. The greatest woman singer of them all was the great Bessie Smith.
There never has been anything like Bessie ever since, no female vocalist can make the hairs stand up on my neck like hers.
The other genius of the classic blues era needs no introduction, he was maybe the single greatest genius in the history of music, known as a jazz man now, back in the 20's Louis Armstrong's contribution to blues phrasing, the cornet, the trumpet, and vocals is simply something so big it cannot be measured, Armstrong simply invented modern music, he is the inventor of swing time itself, he is the greatest jazz musician ever and no one ever played better blues on a cornet since. speaking of smart guys and guitars, here is one great and enlightening photo.
NO I will not give a prize to the first person to name that 'obscure' bloke

It was not until the mid 20's however before we saw THE REAL blues sung by a single guitar player or a small group or duo appear on records, the first being Sylvester Weaver in early 1925. He was followed by a plethora of wonderful bluesmen the big names being Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, Charlie Patton and the stunningly brilliant, Blind Blake. Blake in my mind may be the single best virtuoso in the history of the guitar, certainly as a blues guitarist, he has no peer.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf6OjxYPzoo

The most famous bluesman in the 1920's was Blind Lemon Jefferson, he was another great guitarist and THE most original guitarist ever, here is Ari Eisinger performing Lemon's masterpiece, "Matchbox Blues" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxmvMeM3GNs I can assure you all that Ari is playing note for note Lemon, I seriously doubt if there is a greater fingerpicker on earth today to match Eisinger but I digress, we are yet to leave the 20's as it was a hell of an era for all music.


A big photo for a big man.

This was also a tragic era, we saw many greats in the music world die young and in dreadful circumstances. Bessie Smith got extremely ill, her driver drove to Clarkesdale hospital in MISSISSIPPI in a hurry. The white hospital staff told them that 'n********' are not welcome. Bessie should not have died from that illness, it was easily curable. Her death was horrible, here was this very famous woman who sang like a bird ( but think GIANT bird )and yet she was classed in the end as a 4th class citizen.

Blind Lemon Jefferson made so much money he bought a silver ghost Rolls Royce and hired a driver. He died because the car got stuck in a blizzard and his driver simply got out and left a blind man to die, frozen to death. Blind Blake simply disappears from history in 1933, fate "unknown"

It wasnt just the blues that suffered, the Great Father of Country Music, Jimmy 'the breakman' Rodgers died from TB as a young man as well.

I must sign off on Part One now, on this newspaper I will put some youtube links to some great blues clips. I found this one a while back and love this performance by Snooks Eaglin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAjLyDqmwdk

heres another photo or two, till next time blokes and shielas, take care and HAIL NaN !!!!


Little Walter..... to be featured soon.